The Chase
by readingflowers
Summary: Alternate Universe. Annabeth's father has been killed by Kronos, a well-known murderer. And now he's after Annabeth. With the help of a traveler, Percy Jackson, she goes to find Kronos and avenge her father, even if the FBI try to stop her.
1. Murder

**!**

~Annabeth's P.O.V. ~

I could hear them banging on the door. They were in no mood to be kept waiting but there was no way I was going to open that door. My father, Frederick Chase, and I knew what would happen if we did.

And the planned the perfect time to come. When the city of San Francisco was in a blackout, when no phone calls could get through, when we couldn't call the police to save us.

"Hide! Now! Upstairs, go to the coat closet. Then slip through the attic door on the ceiling. Go!" my father urged, pushing me in the direction of the stairs.

"Wait! What about you?" I asked, tears rising. I knew that if he didn't come with me, this would be the last time I saw him.

"I will be fine! Just go!"

"But, Dad-"

"Annabeth, just remember how much I love you. And I will love you forever." He kissed me forehead and pushed me again.

"I love you, too, Dad." Then I ran up the stairs, tears streaming down my face. I wiped them away with the back of my fist and opened the door to the coat closet.

On the ceiling was a rope and I pulled it down. Then I grabbed the footstool, locked the door of the closet and stepped on the stool and lifted myself into the attic, kicking the stool away as I lifted so if they came in, they wouldn't suspect I went up here. As I closed the trapdoor, I pulled the rope in so they couldn't pull it down.

Then I heard it. The sound of the front door busting open, the sound of shouting and guns locking and loading. The sound of a gunshot and my father falling to the ground, dead.

Silent tears hit the floor as I heard their footsteps getting closer to the door. I heard the doorknob twisting around and the unsatisfied grunt of a man. They did the same to the closet door as they did to the front door and busted it down.

_Please don't notice the attic, please don't notice the attic, _I prayed.

"Nothing," the man grumbled. The footsteps left to go down the hall.

I stayed there for what seemed like forever. Then finally I heard another man say, "Okay, its obvious she isn't here. We'll just have to go looking somewhere else. She can't be far. Maybe she's at the book store. I hear she goes there a lot."

"Fine," said the low, grumbly voice.

And they went downstairs and out the door.

I let out a large breath of relief. I stayed there a while longer to make sure they wouldn't come back. The sound of electricity coming back on went through the walls and I finally opened the door and jumped down. The whole house was completely trashed.

I ran to the house phone and dialed 911 and immediately someone picked up. "Hello?"

"Please come! They broke in and my dad," I shouted without breath and desperately," I think he's dead, he got shot. My house is trashed and they want to kill me-"

"Breathe, sweetie, breathe, everything is alright now. Where are you? What's your address?"

I told her and in about fifteen minutes the red, blue, and white lights shined through the windows and I ran outside towards the cars, avoiding to look at my father's body.

"It's ok," said on police while pulled me into a hug. The other ones were running in my house. I sobbed throat-wrenching sobs. "You're safe. Everything's fine."

**You guys voted and the FBI story was the most voted for (I think….well from what I remember) so this story just came to me when my brother was driving around in the mall parking lot since he has his permit and he wanted to practice right turns. **

**I guess I was so scared to crash that I thought of the FBI and cops and stuff and then I thought of you guys. AWWW HOW SWEET OF ME! To think of you guys when I might've been in the face of death :D**


	2. Tears

**Hey guys! **

**Someone as asked me how old Annabeth and Percy are and **I'm** going to say around 22. So basically they just got out of college **

**To start off this chapter, there shall be sadness! :O **

_~Annabeth's P.O.V. ~_

No more dad.

We were supposed to go out for dinner tonight. I never see him anymore. With my parents being divorced, me living in an apartment near my mom, I only see him during vacations. And now I won't see him ever again. Not for Christmas or Easter or Fourth of July.

Never again will he tell me a lecture on the American Revolution or the history of a famous monument or person. I won't hear his voice calling me his little girl, his little college girl.

"_I will love you forever."_

Those words meant everything to me now. The last words I had heard him say.

And it's all because of Kronos.

It's obvious he is looking for me, no doubt to kill me. But that won't happen. I will go after him, not the other way around. It will be him who will suffer, not me.

"Annabeth," said a policeman, handing me a tissue," just stay here. We'll sort this out."

I was at the police station, waiting to hear those two words that will make me sob again. And then it came. Not from a policeman but from a detective, a young woman named Melissa, or at least that's what her name tag said.

"I'm sorry." The words. Tears overflowed. "Your father is dead." She patted my back. "It was Kronos. His gang killed him. And, yes, they are looking for you. We have called the CSI to look around your house and we are calling the FBI at the moment for your protection. For now, just stay put." She gave the 'I'm sorry' look and walked away.

But the thing is, she isn't sorry. She doesn't know what the hell it feels like to lose a family member, much less your dad. She doesn't know how close we were. She wasn't there at that petrifying moment when they were banging on our door. Death at our doorstep, literally.

I wiped the tears away, trying to seem stronger. I had to keep my goal in mind. Once I get a chance to slip away from all the protection, I'll start to look for Kronos. I know, sounds stupid, to go looking for the man who wants to kill me.

But that man killed my father. And he wasn't going to get away with it.

On the other hand, how can I find him? The FBI have been looking for this man for six years and I think I can do a better job than them?

Stupid pride.

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	3. Escape

**IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE!**

**I live where Hurricane Irene hit, but it wasn't bad where I live (thank you God!) I wasn't even home when this whole disaster happened; I was on vacation in in the Mid-West. **

**Once I landed, my friend called and she said there was an earthquake in Virginia and that they could feel it all the way in New Jersey. A few days later, we heard about Irene and I was so worried, I was on Facebook most of the time to stay updated. Everyone was flooded and the power went out for almost two days and when I got home, everything was a mess. And I wasn't there for **_**any**_** of this! It's been raining for the past week that I wasn't here. **

"_**No, I'm not lucky, I'm blessed, yes**_**"-Nicki Minaj "Moment 4 Life"**

**In Texas, it was just as bad (even without Irene). Texas broke their record with 40 days without rain. It's been over 100 degrees there this whole summer.**

**What does this tell you, kids?**

**Thanks to everyone who reviews or favorite or followed! **

"I'm Nico."

The hand of the FBI agent swung out at me, almost nailing my nose. He had black shaggy hair and black eyes. His skin was an olive color. I brought his hand down and shook it. "I'm-"

"Annabeth," he interrupted. With his other hand he held up a file. "I know."

I nodded and then looked at the girl next to him. She, too, had black hair but her eyes were an electrifying blue. Her skin wasn't nearly as dark as his, just a pale tone. "I'm Thalia. How are you holding up?"

I shrugged. "I've been better, I guess."

These two were going to be my "personal protectors", as Melissa the Detective said. They obviously weren't going to dress like agents; that would definitely make Kronos aware that I was being watched over. Thalia and Nico were the same age as me (19) and were going to dress normally. All I had to do was pretend we were friends until Kronos is dead.

I've been in this police station for hours, just sitting in the little uncomfortable metal chair in the corner, listening to the hushed conversations of my father's dead and Kronos' gang.

_As soon as I get the chase to run, I run. _

I don't know where I would go, but just away from here, away from the FBI and the CSI and my FML moments.

Just as I was about to bolt when Thalia and Nico came, delaying my plans. We were going to be sharing Nico's apartment. Clothes were sent there for me and Thalia already had her things there.

As we were leaving, I took up the back, Nico and Thalia in front of me. Once we got out that door, I run like hell.

But of course, Thalia decides to hold my arm, like a friend would do, and drag me along.

_*LINE BREAK!*_

After getting out of Nico's black SUV (bulletproof, of course), I was expecting to be in a small apartment, consider how horrible the lobby and elevators are. But once he opened the door I was proven wrong.

"What the _hell_ is this?" I exclaimed.

Nico shrugged. "It's nothing."

I stared at him. "_Nothing?_ This place is a freaking _penthouse!"_

He dropped his messenger bag on a leather chair. "Just to throw off the gang, I guess. They expect us to be in really expensive hotels and apartments. This whole building is actually an FBI…er…hotel I guess I should say."

Hotel? How many other life-threatened girls are in this building?

"Right," I said. "Um, I'm going to go to bed. It's been a rough day, you know?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, by the way. About, you know, your loss."

"You don't need to be sorry. I'm perfectly fine," I lied. Then I trudged off to go find a bedroom.

**(A/N: if you want to see the penthouse/apartment, I put a picture on my profile, along with her bedroom. I'm not very good at describing settings….)**

Once I found a bedroom, I sank into the bed, looking up at the chandelier on the ceiling, wishing this nightmare was over.

I heard Nico or Thalia pass by and close a door and then more footsteps. Then Thalia's head popped into my doorway.

"I'm right across the hall if you need me." I nodded and she smiled, closing my door and entering hers.

_Now's my chase._

I slipped out of bed, grabbed my bag, and headed toward the fire escape on the opposite side of the room. I climbed out of my window, nearly breaking the flower pot on the pane and made my way to the streets below. As a landed on the fire escape below mine, the ladder shuddered and the flower pot began to wobble.

"Oh, God, no!" I hissed, but it was too late.

The pot fell over and broke, sending dirt and terracotta everywhere, including my face and hair. I panicked and ran down the rest of the way. A piece of terracotta sliced my cheek but I kept on going.

Then, finally, I jumped into the alley and ran to the sidewalk, sprinting down the street, my bag thumping at my side.

"Annabeth! Get back here right _now!_" I heard Thalia yell, but I kept running.

I ran until I came to a small café, lights dim, but people were in there. So I pushed through the door and immediately felt my nose defrost, my cheeks flush from how warm it was in there compared to how cold it was out there.

I plopped onto a leather chair, faced away from the window, and slid down so my head wasn't showing over the top.

I heard the sound of people sprinting behind me and froze. As the sound fading, I looked behind me to see Thalia and Nico just passing the window, heading the other direction. I sighed and stood up, deciding to get a drink.

As a slung my bag over my shoulder, someone knocked into me and I dropped everything inside of it onto the floor and for some reason this lit a fire inside of me. Anger took over me and a turned to the man who bumped me.

"For _crap's _sake! I was right there, how could you now see me!" I exclaimed.

The man's eyes widened, his bright green eyes shining in the darkness, but there was amusement in his stare. "I'm sorry. I was heading to the counter." He leaned down and picked up my things (books, pencils, wallet, etc.) and handed them to me.

I stuffed them in my bag and huffed over the counter, spinning on my heel.

He just grinned, amusement still there and jogged after me. "I'm Percy. And you are?"

"Not interested." I didn't even look over at him.

His smile was still there and he swept his jet black hair out of his face. "Well, I think you should at least tell me your name. You know, since I picked up your stuff and all."

I scoffed and said, "And let's not forget who knocked my stuff to the floor!"

"Fine." He smirked. "I'll guess your name."

"Oh, joy," I said sarcastically.

"Is it Emily?"

"No."

"Sarah?"

"No."

"Amy?"

"Go away."

"Anna?"

I paused. "Close."

He grinned and said, "Is it Anne…Annie?"

"No and no."

"Annabelle?"

"Closer."

"….umm…hint?"

"It does have 'Anna' in it. The second part starts with a _B_."

He was silent for a moment. "Is it….Annabill?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Annabill?"

"Okay! I give up! Please tell me your name?"

I sighed. "Annabeth."

"Hmm…well it's no 'Annabill' but it'll do," he said, smirking.

"Oh, yes, because I would love my name to be Annabill." (Sarcasm)

We reached the counter and the redheaded girl behind it asked what I would like.

"Two caramel lattes, please," Percy answered.

The girl left and I raised an eyebrow at him. "What're you doing?"

"Buying you a latte? It's the least I can do for making you drop your bag."

"Oh. Thanks."

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	4. Confessions

"So," Percy said as we said down at a table with our caramel lattes, "you live here?"

I spun the straw around the cup, making a squeaking noise on the cap. "Um...no. You?"

"Where do you live?" he asked, ignoring my question.

"San Francisco…," I answered hoping he wouldn't push the subject any further.

"Hm. What're you doing here in Los Angeles?" he said, definitely pushing it.

"Family issues. You live here?" I rushed out.

"Really? What kind of family issues."

_Shut up!_ "It's nothing, really. What about you?" I replied, biting my tongue.

"I don't live here. I actually don't live anywhere." I gave him a confused look. He chuckled and continued, "I'm a traveler. I go from place to place, looking for something interesting."

"Really. That's…a pretty amazing life. Where've you been?"

"Oh, you know, everywhere. New York City. Austin, Texas. Los Angeles, obviously. Then there's Barcelona, Rome, London, Bangkok, Athens, Sydney-"

"No way! How long have you been doing this for?"

"About six years. My favorite was Sydney. Water everywhere you looked, fresh air, great people, awesome beer."

I laughed. "How was Athens? My grandmother was born there, you know."

"Hot. Over one-hundred degrees every day, kind of like Texas. The history there is amazing though. All that culture on each of those islands and the mainland," he sighed, "The mainland was just…-"

"Amazing?" I suggested. He nodded. "Where do you sleep?"

"Oh, I rent the cheapest, crappiest hotels everywhere I go. You know, because of money. I usually get a day job in each of the places. Like in New York, I worked in a pretzel stand in Central Park, stuff like that. Just to pay for food and stuff."

I stared at him for a second, my smile fading. "What about your family? Don't they miss you?"

"Huh?" He took a sip of his latte. "Oh, um no. My family…is complicated."

I scoffed. "Try me."

His eyes filled with sorrow and he looked up at me. "They're dead. My dad left my mom and me when I was born, and my mom died in…an accident."

"Oh, wow. I'm so sorry, I didn't know-"I started.

"It's fine. After she died, I inherited some money and just flew off to Texas. Ever since then I just winged it."

"I could never pull that off." He stared at me. "My life just got dropped out of my hands recently. My…my dad died."

"Oh god, I'm sorry," Percy said when sympathy. The same look that Melissa the Detective gave me.

"I'm fine," I said, my voice cracking, tears rising.

"How'd he die?" he asked softly.

I coughed and casually wiped my eyes. "I rather not say. It's kind of confidential."

"Meaning?" Percy said.

"If I told you, I would have to kill you," I replied, smirking.

He chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Well, aren't our lives screwed up?"

I sighed. "Oh, please. Your life is a freaking ray of sunshine compared to mine. Traveling to foreign countries, no care what-so-ever."

"If you insist," he said, running a hand through his hair.

But my rant went on. "It's just that my parents got divorced and I just started college and now I have to quit it because of my dad dying and I don't know what my mom is thinking now, I haven't talked to her since the death and now I just can't…" I choked on tears and finally, I let them overflow. I put my face in my hands and sobbed. "I miss my dad so much."

Percy sat there and let me cry until he moved his chair closer to mine and put an arm around me. "Hey, it's-it's going to be okay. Don't worry. Everything is going to fall into places."

I cried and cried. People in the café stared at us, the two people, one crying and one awkwardly comforting her.

Finally pulling myself together I said, "I don't even have a place to stay tonight."

"You can stay with me, you know, if you want. My place is right around the corner. It's no problem, really," Percy said sincerely.

"Really?" I asked, my voice ruined by my stuffy nose.

"Oh, yeah. But if you don't like crappy hotel rooms-"

"No, no, it's fine. Thank you…again." I sniffed and looked out the window where it started to snow lightly.

"We better go now. It's snowing," Percy said, getting up and waiting for me to stand. I did so and he asked if the coat I had was thick enough for the snow.

"It's good," I replied.

He pulled on his worn leather jacket and we went out into the snow. I was aware that we were heading the same direction Thalia and Nico went so I pressed close to Percy, keeping my face hidden behind his shoulder, the leather of his jacket cold against my face.

"Cold much?" Percy asked.

"Um, yea, kind of."

He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets and allowed me to hook my arms around his so that I was closer.

And we kept walking, our arms intertwined, our steps in sync, breath visible in front of us. We came to a hotel and walked through the doors and up the elevator. It reminded me of the one Nico's penthouse was in: rundown and crappy.

Percy's room was no better. It was old and smelled a little bit like mildew. But it had two beds, a bathroom, and a TV so I really was in no place to complain.

"Thank you, again, for letting me stay here," I told him, sitting on my bed.

"No problem. I'm here for three more days though," he replied looking through his duffel bag for something.

"Where are you going this time?" I asked looking at the stack of maps and travel books on his nightstand.

"Paris," he replied, taking a book from his bag and tossing it to me. It was a travel book for Paris. It showed amazing pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre. It even showed some places just outside of Paris like Claude Monet's house where he paints his famous water lilies.

"Wow, Paris. That's a pretty long flight from here, isn't it? Like eleven and a half hours, right?"

"Yup," he replied, popping the _P_.

I put the book on top of the travel book of Athens and climbed under the covers of my bed.

"G'night, Percy."

"Night, Annabeth."

I turned away from the lamp, which was still on, and closed my eyes. I could hear Percy putting his duffel bag down and climbing into his bed and turning off the light until I finally heard him snoring lightly.

_Annabeth, what are you doing? You only knew this man for three hours and you're staying with him? Stupid girl._

_*Line Break!*_

I woke up the next day with a headache and groaned softly into my pillow.

"You up, Annabeth?" someone asked.

"Hmm?" I mumbled, sleepily. I'm still half-awake.

The man chuckled and for a second I thought I was back in Nico's penthouse. But then I remember last night with the lattes and the ranting and the tears.

"Okay then," Percy said. "Then I guess you want to stay in this horrible room while I go out."

"Where?" I asked with my eyes still closed.

"Not sure. Winging it, remember?"

"Fine, give me a sec." I rolled out of bed and into the bathroom, changing out of an old pair of Percy's basketball shorts and t-shirt and back into my clothes from yesterday. I walked out while I pulled my hair into a ponytail. "Okay, let's go."

Percy grabbed the key to the room and we left.

"So," I said as we were going down the elevator, "you don't have a car?"

"Nah, I rent cars since I travel a lot," he replied. "We could rent one today, maybe."

"_We?"_ I repeated.

"Well, unless you have something better to do," Percy said sarcastically.

The elevator opened and we walked through the lobby and out the door. The air was colder than yesterday but it wasn't snowing. I pulled my coat on, along with gloves that I always keep in the coat pocket.

"God, it's cold," I muttered.

"Well, at least we're in L.A. Then we'd have a big problem," Percy said.

In L.A., we only get _traces_ of snow. Sometimes just 0.3 inches, but never above 1 inch.

We walked about fifteen blocks when we came to a car rental place. Inside, the heater was on and there was a coffee machine open to anyone so Percy and I each got a cup.

"Hello, do you need any help?" a man in a tux asked. "I'm James."

"Yes, we'd like to rent a car," Percy answered.

_Well, no duh,_ I thought.

James showed us around the lobby where they had cars and motorcycles on display from SUVs to Vespa scooters to Sedans.

"What about this?" Percy asked me, looking at a silver Prius. **(A/N: I know, I know. Paul Blofis would be proud.)**

I looked at it. Then I looked outside the window and thought about Thalia and Nico. What if they saw me driving through L.A. with a stranger?

"Um, sure, but could we tint the windows darker?" I asked James and Percy.

James nodded and Percy looked at my weirdly. "Why?"

"Oh, you know, people like to look through the windows and see if there's anything to steal…."I trailed off.

He just shrugged and a half hour later we were cruising through L.A. With each sip of coffee, my headache went farther away.

"Where to?" I asked Percy as I looked out the window.

"Well," he started, glancing over at me, "I was hoping you would tell me."

"Me? Why?" I asked.

"You live close, I bet you know a couple hot spots here," he answered, smirking.

I thought about all the landmarks I knew around here. How many times has my dad taken me here for a weekend vacation? About six times?

"Um, well there's Los Angeles County Museum of Art-"

"Boring," Percy stated.

"Walt Disney Concert Hall-"I continued.

"Nope!"

"The Hollywood Sign?"

"No-wait, that's actually a good idea!" he exclaimed.

I grinned. "I'm full of 'em."

_*LINE BREAK!*_

About fifteen minutes later, we pulled up to the Hollywood Sign. A couple of families were also there, taking pictures and picnicking. Dogs were running around, chasing Frisbees and wrestling with each other. Percy and I sat down against the first _L._

"Wow," Percy said, sounding impressed. "I didn't know the Hollywood Sign was this big."

"I used to always come here with my dad on vacation," I said, looking up at the letters that were so familiar to me. "We used to have a picnic and stay until it got dark so we could see the sign light up."

"My mom and I used to go to the beach in Montauk. We stayed at this really run-down cabin and stay there for a week," Percy said softly.

It was silent for a while. We just stared at the sky above us and listened to the families laughing and eating and the dogs barking and panting. Then I looked down at the dry grass that surrounded and the sign and saw the most horrible sight I've ever seen.

Thalia and Nico were coming straight toward us. They were about fifty yards away.

"Percy! We got to go now!" I exclaimed, standing up and pulling a surprised Percy with me.

"What? Why?" he asked as we ran to the car.

"ANNABETH!" Thalia was fuming and sprinting at us. "GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW! THE FBI DOES NOT _WAIT_ ON PEOPLE!"

"FBI?" Percy yelled. "What's going on?"

I got into the driver's seat and Percy got into the passenger side. "I'll explain later!"

We sped out onto the street and zoomed away. I could still hear Thalia yelling her head off and I glanced back to see them running back the way they came, probably to get their car.

The speed limit was fifty-five but I was going eighty miles per hour now.

"SLOW DOWN!" Percy shouted.

"Will you shut up!" I yelled back, a pit in my stomach.

We stayed like this for about an hour. Then I finally slowed down to meet the speed limit.

"Annabeth?" I glanced at Percy. "Why was the FBI going after you?"

I sighed. "You _really_ want to know?"

He nodded but he looked like he was ready to jump out of the car at any second, probably thinking I was a murderer.

"You can't tell anyone. Remember how I said my dad died?" I said.

"_You're a murderer?" _Percy said, horrified.

"No! No, I am not a murderer! My dad was murdered but not by me. Have you heard of Kronos?"

Percy face turned pale and he looked out his window. "Um, I might've heard of him."

"Yeah, well he's the one who's killed my father and now he's after me. I'm in L.A. because that's where the FBI want me to be. Those two people who were calling after me are my body guards," I rushed out. I casted a quick glance at Percy who was still pale.

"Why don't you go back?" he finally asked. "And be protected?"

"If I go back there, I won't ever get a chance to find Kronos and kill him for myself. My dad meant everything to me and Kronos took that away. He can't get away with that."

Percy was silent for what seemed like hours. I slowed down as we came to a stop light and he looked at me and said, "He killed my mom. You know why I travel so much? Once my mom died, I used the money I inherited from her to go after Kronos, like you're doing. I've been looking for him for six years, Annabeth. And I can't find him anywhere. I sometimes get the feeling that he's right there, right in front of me, but I just can't see him."

"What?" Did I hear him right?

"Kronos killed my mom, the FBI had no idea my mom had me, and they left me unprotected. When my dad left us, he left to join Kronos' gang."

"Why would he do that?" I asked. "And then let them kill your mother?"

"Because Kronos was his dad," his voice cracked. "Kronos…Kronos is my grandfather."

**So the thing is…..i had no intention of updated so soon, but I just had this idea and I really wanted to type it down before I forgot it. This was 7 pages on MS and I wrote it all in about 3 hours.**

**I was actually procrastinating. I really don't want to do my summer reading report…..**


	5. Explanations

**LION FREAKING KING IN FREAKING 3D! FTW! WE WERE MAKING AWESOME COMMENTARY DURING THAT AWESOME MOVIE AND GOT SHUSHED MORE THAN ONCE BY SURROUNDING PEOPLE! **

**Yeah…if you haven't seen it, you haven't lived.**

**ANYWAY! Thanks for your awesome reviews, I love yoooouuu!**

**I'm aiming to have Percy flirt with Annabeth AT LEAST 5 times in this chapter so I will be keeping count. **

"What do you mean? He can't be your grandfather! If Kronos is your grandfather then why does he want to kill you?" I asked.

I regretted I asked that. Tears were rising in his eyes and he looked away from me and said in a cracking voice, "Because I didn't want to be a part of his gang. He threatened and pulled a gun to my head but the cops came and they ran and so did I."

"Why?" I asked softly.

"Why did_ you_ leave?" he whispered.

"Because I wanted to find Kronos myse-"

"Exactly." His voice grew harsher. "I didn't want to be on the spot. I wanted to find Kronos and kill him. I didn't want the FBI to do it for me.

We were quiet for a while. The light turned green and I stepped on the gas a little too hard and we sped through the crossroad.

"You're going to Paris. How do you know Kronos is going to be there?" I asked.

"Because he thinks I'm going to be there. He usually breaks into my hotel room and goes through my things. But I'm not there to actually see him. So I left a fake letter to the FBI and told them were I was going. I wasn't actually going to send it, but I knew that Kronos was going to read it."

I looked down at my lap as I slowed down to another red light. "I have to go with you."

Percy's head snapped in my direction. "You can't. I have to do this by myself. He killed my mom."

"He killed my dad! There's no difference! You cannot stop me from going there with you!"

"Really, Annabeth?" he said angrily.

"Besides, you shouldn't have told me where he was going! If you hadn't then I would've had no idea!" I yelled back.

It took Percy a moment to process this. Then he sunk back in his seat. "Do you know how much it costs to book a last minute flight to Paris from California?"

I shrugged. "My dad just died. I have a feeling he left me with _some_ money. And I'm not going to college anymore which means I'm saving forty thousand dollars a year."

Percy sighed. _"Fine."_

***7:32 p.m., Paris, France (Two days later)***

"So is this what you normally do?" I asked Percy. "Get off the plane, drop off your luggage, and then go sightseeing?"

Percy had just gotten us crepes (the best food ever!) and we were now walking along the Seine, the Eiffel Tower just in view.

"Well," he shrugged his coat on, "not usually. But I'm not usually with a pretty girl when I'm on a mission to kill someone."

I blushed. "Yeah…um…so what's next?"

Percy grinned at my embarrassment and took out his travel book from his back pocket. "I was planning to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower but that's obviously not going to happen…" The line to even get onto the elevator was at least three miles long.

"What about the Louvre?" I asked as we waved at a tour boat that passed by.

"Hmm, as long as we don't go near the Mona Lisa, I guess we can go there," he replied.

"Why can't we see the Mona Lisa?"

"It's surrounded by sweaty tourists! And it's ten feet away and in a glass case. I don't know about you but I prefer not to get in a situation like that." **(A/N: I was in that situation….AND MY DAD PUSHED ME FURTHER INTO THE SWEATY PEOPLE JUST TO GET A PICTURE FOR HIM! Honestly, dad, do you want to kill me? Death by sweaty tourists!)**

I laughed. "Okay, no Mona Lisa."

_*Line Break!*_

We stared at the marble statue for a few minutes until Percy said, "I don't get it."

I raised an eyebrow. "What don't you get? It's obviously….a person…."

"Where are the arms?"

"I don't know, I guess they got blown off," I replied.

He cocked his head to the side and concentrated on the statue more. "Got blown off from what?"

"…..an earthquake."

"Your arms can't be blown off from an earthquake. Maybe they shattered off or something."

"Either way it doesn't have arms," I said.

"I don't get how it's a person either. Where's its head?"

"Percy, it obviously came off with the arms," I replied teasingly.

"Hmm, how come the other statues have heads then?" He smirked at me.

"Because this guy had a head that couldn't live without arms, so it popped off with it."

A lady next to us gave us a glare and walked away.

"Wow…that's true love, I guess," Percy said, completely ignoring the lady.

"Yeah, true love between arms and a head…"

"I don't get love."

"Is there anything you _do_ get?" I asked as we walked out of the room and into another gallery full of armless statues and chattering tourists.

"No, seriously, I just don't get it. I mean, I get that the arms came off because it's so fragile and old and stuff but I don't get how love works."

I didn't know how to respond. "I don't think anyone knows how it works. I guess it just happens. And sometimes it lasts a long time and sometimes it's just temporary."

"Wouldn't you get bored of that person sooner or later?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No?" Percy said, looking confused.

"Well you had a mom. Did you ever get bored of her?"

"Of course not."

"That's because you love her. But when it's with someone you're not related to, it's different I guess. Like…stronger."

Percy looked at me for a moment. "Have you ever loved someone you're not related to?"

I pursed my lips. "No. I've dating people but I never actually loved them."

"You're not dating now?"

"No…and if I was, it would be the last thing on my mind," I replied.

"Why?"

I stopped in front of a painting and looked at him. "Because it's more important to me that I'm with you right now." I didn't mean for it to sound like that, like I loved it. I meant for it to sound like he was helping me kill my father's killer. Which, come to think of it, are two completely different things.

Percy grinned at me. "Yeah, you probably would've dumped the poor man anyway."

I raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Oh, maybe because you would like me more than him."

"Ha!"

Percy gave me a look and pushed me with his elbow.

"Hey!" I laughed as I almost stumbled into a statue. "You're going to break something!"

"_I'm_ not going to break anything. You probably are…" he trailed off and shoved me again

"Well, you're going to _cause_ me to break something, maybe your _arm_ if you don't stop pushing!"

Percy chuckled and walked out of the room as I walked behind him and pushed him forward. He walked right into the same lady who glared at us before.

"Hey! Don't make me report you!" She gave us the evil eye and stalked off.

"See what you did?" Percy said, smirking and turning to me. "You just ruined that women's day!"

"Me?" I said as Percy walked on. "You started it!"

"And," said a deep voice behind me, "I'm ending it." We both turned around and saw a guard. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave the Louvre, _s'il vous plait_." **(A/N: s'il vous plait means please in French)**

"Now you've done it," I muttered to Percy as the guard led us out.

"This is totally your fault, just so you know," Percy said.

We pushed through the crowd and finally got outside. It was dark out and the museum was lit up. We could see the Arc de Triomphe in the distance and further down, the Eiffel Tower which sparkled on the hour. It was almost nine o'clock.

"Okay, fine, it's entirely my fault. But if we run now, we could probably make it to the Eiffel Tower to see it light up," I said, already jogging.

Percy and I sped across the street and ran under the circle where the Arc is. **(A/N: if you're wondering what that means, the Arc de Triomphe is in this circle where there are no traffic lights and basically it's like all hell broke loose. So you have to go underground to cross the street.) **We barely made it, but we got there in time to see the tower sparkle with different colors for one minute and then go back to being lit up.

"Wow…I'm actually glad I got us kicked out of the Louvre," Percy said while looking up at the tower.

"I thought I got us kicked out," I said, tilting my head to the side.

"Yeah, but with my help." He smirked and looked at me.

_*LINE BREAK!*_

Once we got back to the hotel room, which had a great view of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower even if it was pretty crappy, I began to wonder if we were actually going to look for Kronos. We spent the whole day sightseeing like we were normal tourists on a normal vacation. No one tried to pull a gun to our heads or snatch us from the sidewalk as we walked by alleyways. It was the most normal day I had in a week. I had forgotten about my dad, the man who was by my side even when I was wrong, the man who brushed my hair and made my breakfast and drove me everywhere and chased the monsters away.

I remember when I was thirteen and I got in a fight with my friends at school. I came home crying and my mom wasn't home. So I took the downtown train to my dad's house and we went to the movies and by the time I got back to my mom's house (she was scared half to death when she came home to an empty house) I forgot what I was so upset about. Sure, I didn't have anyone to talk to at school, but at least I had a dad who cared.

How could I have forgotten? I did not come to Paris to see all the beautiful architecture and explore their history. I came to find my father's murderer.

By the time the sun rose and Percy woke up, I was already showered and ready to leave for the day. And this time, I was determined to find something, anything, to get me one step closer to Kronos.

**Well, wasn't that a nice long chapter. I named this chapter Explanations because Annabeth is explaining to Percy about love. I put a lot of thought into the chapter names.**

**I did that because I love all you strangers who are probably as connected to the computer as I am.**

**BTW, do any of you guys live in Upstate New York? Because I was just up there looking for colleges for my brother (we were looking at Ithaca) and it is FREEZING! I mean, WHAT THE HECK MAN? It was like 40 degrees there and it's only the beginning of October! I'm scarred for life!**

**And that four and a half hour drive was no fun either. I cannot sleep in cars or airplanes for some reason. I doze off but I never fall asleep. So I listened to my IPod and looked out the window and read and texted people from my camp that I haven't talked to in ages and found out that I was the only person not invited to one of my camp friend's Bar Mitzvahs. And the worst part is that I knew that kid since 2****nd**** grade. But then again, I did push her into the stream in like 3****rd**** grade because I thought she was going to hit me…**

**ANYWAY! R&R…but not about my life problems…about the story. **


	6. Last AN

**Hey guys, no more Author's Notes for my stories anymore!**

**I'm not discontinuing my stories, this is just my last Author's Note saying that I got a Tumblr account and the link is on my profile.**

**.com/**

**I'm going to be putting up information about my stories on my Tumblr and PREVIEWS WILL ALSO BE ADDED ON THE ACCOUNT. Also, I will put up any info about upcoming stories.**

**BACKGROUND CREDITS TO MY TUMBLR GOES TO MY FRIEND, HEAO. **


	7. preview of chp 6

"Well, you're up early," Percy commented when he woke up and saw me sitting on my bed, reading. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No," I replied. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but all we did yesterday was sight-see."

Percy, who claims he always sleeps without a shirt on, gave me a confused look while pulling a black tee over his head. "Yeah, so?"

"So? There's a man out there who has the need to kill us, if you've forgotten, and I do not plan on dying now!" I closed my book and set it on the nightstand. "Get dressed; we're going to actually work today."

Percy just stood there for a second before he nodded with a smirk on his face and went into the bathroom. "Whatever you say, Princess."

**more of this preview on my tumblr.**

**tumblr link is on my profile**


	8. Encountering

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON (forgot to do that)**

"Well, you're up early," Percy commented when he woke up and saw me sitting on my bed, reading. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No," I replied. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but all we did yesterday was sight-see."

Percy, who claims he always sleeps without a shirt on, gave me a confused look while pulling a black tee over his head. "Yeah, so?"

"So? There's a man out there who has the need to kill us, if you've forgotten, and I do _not_ plan on dying now!" I closed my book and set it on the nightstand. "Get dressed; we're going to actually work today."

Percy just stood there for a second before he nodded with a smirk on his face and went into the bathroom. "Whatever you say, Princess."

I waited for about ten minutes before Percy got out of the bathroom and we were ready to leave. Percy mentioned how Kronos usually broke into his hotel rooms before so I took everything I didn't want them to see/take/look through like my phone, my iPod, and my laptop.

It was raining lightly when we got outside and the sky was a grayish-bluish color. Nevertheless, people were walking on the sidewalk with linked arms and umbrellas.

We crossed the street that led to the side of the Notre Dame which had a small crepe stand. Percy bought a sugar crepe and we shared it.

"You know," Percy said after a while, "we still haven't seen the Eiffel Tower."

"Yes, we have," I replied absentmindedly.

"No, we haven't. We saw it from the bottom but we haven't gone up."

I sighed and turned to him. "Percy, I really want to just get to Kronos, okay?"

Percy impersonated my sigh and said, "Then where do you suppose we look?"

I was caught off guard by this question. For some reason, I just thought that Kronos would come to me. Paris is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. And with so many architectural wonders here, I can't help but get distracted. I would love to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower and look over this city, but I can't. And Percy should understand that! Had he not gone through this too?

"You're unbelievable…" I muttered.

Percy looked at me and grinned. "Thanks."

"What do you do, huh?" I asked him. "When you're locking for Kronos, what do you do?"

Percy said, "I wait."

I snorted. "Wait? Wait for what?"

"For him to look in my room. Either that, or I wait until I notice a man watching me, one of his members, you know?""

"He actually sends people to watch you? I asked, looking around. There were a bunch of people around us, but I didn't see any man watching us.

"Yeah, then I would get notes in my room from him. Clues, kind of, to where I could find him. I always think they're traps though, an ambush of some sort."

I thought about that for a second. "You never listen to the clues? Do you know how stupid that is? He's giving you hints on where he is! That's your chance to get him!" I exclaimed. "You could've at least come up with a plan on how to get him if you thought it was a trap."

Percy smirked. "That's what I have you for, right? We're a team now."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Fine. If you're so hung up on it, let's go up the freaking Eiffel Tower."

* * *

><p>About two hours later, we were on the elevator to the top of the tower. And I have to admit, I don't regret my decision. Well, not yet, anyway.<p>

Once we got out of the stuffy elevator packed with tourists, we made our way to a telescope where you have to pay to see through it. Percy insisted I go first. I loved every second of the two minutes I got to look through it. I could see every corner in Paris, every monument.

When the lens went black, I was grinning stupidly.

"That good, huh?" Percy asked and I nodded in response as he slipped another quarter into the slot and looked through.

I walked away from him and to the railing on the far end. Not a lot of people were on this side since most of the monuments were on the other side.

So many things were sipping through my head. Dad's gone, I don't know where mom is, Thalia and Nico are looking for me, I am in so much trouble when they do find me, Kronos is somewhere in this city, Percy looks like he's going to make the telescope explode with quarters, there's a man staring at me, when will we find Kro- wait.

There's a man staring at me.

I turned to my left and saw him more clearly. He had sandy blonde hair, tan skin, blue eyes, and a scar going down his face.

"Hello," he said to me.

"Um, hi," I said leaning back.

"I'm Luke." He held out his hand for me to shake.

_Please don't be a serial killer! _

I took his hand, lightly shook it, and dropped my hand to the railing.

"Annabeth," I said.

"That's a nice name," he said thoughtfully.

"Thanks." I grinned nervously.

"So, Annabeth, what brings you here?"

"Uh, I'm with a friend," I said, pointed to Percy who was putting another quarter in the telescope I think he was only doing it to piss off the lady behind him who's been standing there for the past four minutes.

"Hm, he seems interesting," Luke said, grimacing.

"He is," I blurted out, defensively. "I mean, he's a really cool person. Why are you here?"

"I'm spending a semester of college here," he answered. "I'm studying," he paused as if trying to remember what he was studying. "I, uh, I'm studying architecture."

I raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Really? I was studying architecture at Yale but…" I trailed off.

"Oh, so you want to be an architect?"

I nodded. Percy looked over at us and gave me a questioning look.

"Um, I have to go," I said, starting toward Percy.

"Wait, will I see you again?" Luke asked, rushing out the words.

"Um, I don't know-" I started.

Luke shoved a piece of paper toward me. "Here's my cellphone number. Call me." And with that, he was heading back toward an elevator to go down.

_Does he always have a piece of paper in his pocket with his cellphone number on it? Or was it just a coincidence?_

"Who was that?" Percy asked, finally leaving the telescope.

"I'm… I'm not entirely sure," I answered.

* * *

><p>After the tower, we had lunch, went to the hotel to check for notes, found nothing, Percy got into a small fight with a French man, and had dinner.<p>

We sat down on the grass by the Seine, waving at the occasional tourist boats.

A band under one of the bridges started to play "La Vie en Rose" by Louis Armstrong. A small smile started to form on my face. Before my parents were divorced, we dreamed of coming here, The City of Love, and to other parts of Europe. Pictures of the architectural wonders in Europe were hung around the kitchen and the radio used to play songs like "La Vie en Rose" and "Bella Notte" **(A/N: I obviously do not own any of these songs.)** But this was my all-time favorite.

_Hold me close and hold me fast_

_The magic spell you cast_

_This is la vie en rose_

The woman's voice reminded me of my mother's. I should've called her. She must be worried out of her mind. The song kept on drifting its sweet, slow tune. I closed my eyes and swayed gently.

_When you kiss me heaven sighs_

_And though I close my eyes_

_I see la vie en rose_

"Do you know this song?" Percy asked.

I opened my eyes and looked over. Couples were slow dancing on the sidewalks and on the boats. The sky was a light pinkish-yellow and the Eiffel Tower was glistening in the background.

"My parents used to play this song around the house when I was younger," I told him quietly. "It was their dream to come here."

Percy nodded and watched the couples for a while, then stood up. "Would you like to dance?" He held a hand out to me.

I hesitated but took his hand with a small smile. His arms went around my waist and I rested my arms around his shoulders.

_When you press me to your heart_

_I'm in a world apart_

_A world where roses bloom_

We swayed around for a while, and I was mostly just looking at the dancers around us. They looked like they knew exactly what to do. It's like it came naturally to them. They were looking into each other's eyes and letting the music take them where they felt they needed to be.

_And when you speak, angels sing from above_

_Everyday words seem to turn_

_Into love songs_

I looked at Percy who seems so focused on not stepping on my feet, keeping his head down. I grinned and leaned my forehead against his to make him look up. I never noticed how beautiful his green eyes were.

_Give your heart and soul to me_

_And life will always be_

_La vie en rose_

We started to lean in. I could feel his breathe on my lips. This is the perfect moment, in Paris, romantic music, the Eiffel Tower. So, naturally, right when we were a heartbeat away from a kiss, we get interrupted.

"Annabeth?" I pull away and look towards the sound of my name.

"Luke?"

**Review! **

**Preview of the next chapter should be up on Tumblr around Friday**


	9. Bruises

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson.**

****IMPORTANT NOTE: Message me (on Tumblr or review or private message) after you read the preview and tell me an idea for the next chapter name(I'm running out of ideas)! If I like it, I'll send you the whole next chapter!****

* * *

><p>"Annabeth, hey!" Luke exclaimed, jogging up to me and Percy.<p>

I pulled out of Percy's grip and turned to him as he stopped in front of me. "Luke, what're you doing here?"

"I came by to see the band. I heard them while I was walking across the bridge and thought I saw a familiar face," he explained.

Percy was sizing him up. He noticed the scar on his face, too. His eyebrows shot up when he saw it, but he didn't say anything.

"So, what're you guys doing here?" Luke asked nonchalantly.

"Dancing," Percy said harshly. "Or at least we _were_ dancing."

Luke raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I can't help it if I wanted to say hello."

"Well, you did, and we should go now," Percy said as he grabbed by elbow and started to pull me away.

"Wait! Annabeth, I want to ask you something…alone…," Luke said.

I glanced at Percy and gave him an encouraging nod, and he walked closer to the band, out of earshot.

"Yes?" I asked Luke.

"Would you like to, maybe, go on a date…with me?" Luke asked nervously. My eye widened. "I mean- you don't have to, I can see that you're busy with…him, but there's this restaurant by the tower and I just thought that maybe-"

"Sure!" I interrupted him.

What am I doing? I have to find a murderer! But I was never asked out by someone like Luke. Someone who was into architecture _and_ was cute.

Luke grinned. "Really? Um, ok, I guess I'll call you?"

"Yeah," I said, nodded enthusiastically.

Luke walked backwards in the direction he come from and stumbled on some cracks in the sidewalk and bumped into a couple dancing.

Percy walked back up to me, eyebrows furrowed. "What'd he want?"

"He just asked me out," I said nonchalantly but still smiling.

"He asked you out? You mean, on a date?" Percy asked. His mouth fell into a frown and he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, aren't you happy? I know that we should be looking for Kronos, but it's only one date, right? It won't even mean anything," I told him.

"If it won't mean anything, why are you going?" Percy said, accusingly.

The grin on my face faded and I gave him a sharp look. "I don't know, maybe I like him!"

"You like him? You can't like him! We're looking for a murderer, in case you forgot!" Percy yelled.

I scoffed. "Says the man who takes _detours_ instead of looking for the freaking murderer!"

Couples slowed their dancing to look at us but, I kept on glaring at Percy. How could he say that? _I'm_ the one that refused to go to the Eiffel Tower,_ not_ him! I deserve this…don't I?

"Yeah, well, now I'm serious about it! Don't go on the date!" he pleaded.

"Or what? You'll call my dad? Oh, wait! You can't, he's _dead!_" I yelled.

The band stopped playing to look over.

"Exactly, that's why we have to find Kronos!"

I gave him a look of complete bewilderment. "What's wrong with you?"

"Me? Nothing! You're going on a date when we have to find a murderer! What's wrong with_ you?" _He got right in my face.

I looked over his shoulder at everyone watching us. My eyebrows furrowed and I felt a fire burn inside of me. Tears started to come to my eyes and I instinctively rubbed my eyes with the back of my fist, a horrible habit I always had that got me bruises on my face when I was younger. I pushed Percy away from me and he stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk.

"You aresuch a _jerk, _Percy Jackson! I _never_ want to see you ever again!" I shouted. Then I ran from him, still rubbing my eyes and cheeks with my fist. I pushed through the crowd of couples and tripped over the guitar case, but I kept on running. My fists were clenched so tightly and I was practically punching the tears away. I got the same feeling I got when I was younger, when I felt bruises forming on my cheekbones.

"No," I grumbled softly, "no more bruises."

I stumbled up the steps to the road, quickly crossing the street. The smell of cigarettes filled the air. A man with a scruffy beard was sitting outside of a bar. I pushed through the heavy wooden door and sat on a stool in the dim bar.

The bar reminded me of the café where Percy bumped into me back in California. There were about ten people in all sitting at the bar and most of them seemed drunk.

"Que voulez-vous?" the man behind the bar asked. I raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. He sighed and said in a French accent, "What do you want?"

"Vodka…on the rocks, please." I heard my uncle order it before at a sports bar.

The bartender slid a glass down to me and I paid him. It tasted bitter but I drank half of it in one sip, slamming the glass down and hiccupping. My throat and stomach started to burn like I swallowed Icy Hot.

"Woah, you okay?" the guy next to me said.

I sniffed and looked at him. He was an Asian man with an African girl next to him. I downed the rest of the drink and started to feel dizzy.

"You okay?" he asked.

"No," I mumbled, sliding the glass over for the bartender to put more in.

"Well, you can't be drinking all that for nothing," he said.

I got my glass back and drank a quarter.

The girl next to him nodded. Her brown curls bounced up and down and I started to feel nauseous.

"I got in a fight." I hiccupped.

The curly-headed girl got off her stool and stood between the Asian man and me. "Was he your boyfriend?"

I shook my head a little too fast and the ceiling was suddenly on the floor. "A friend of mine."

"I'm Hazel. Sorry about your friend," the girl said. "This is Frank."

"Nice-hiccup-to meet you." I picked up my glass shakily and drank from it but nothing came out. I tipped the glass upside-down and a drop of vodka and a couple ice cubes fell out and onto the wooden floor. "Wha-? Who drank my vodka?" The bartender rolled his eyes.

Hazel and Frank chuckled and I looked over at them. They both had wine in front of them.

"I think she's wasted," Hazel whispered to Frank loudly.

"Bartend'r!" I said, waving my glass.

He gave me an annoyed look and said, "That was your sixth."

_How did _that_ happen?_

"I like…dish drink!" I said drunkenly, slamming the glass onto the table. "More!"

Frank and Hazel gave me a look that said I should stop. The bartender was glaring at me so I let go of the glass and got up from the stool, tipping over a bit.

"See ya lat'r, guys," I slurred and headed out the door.

* * *

><p>"Annabeth, where have you been?" Percy exclaimed as I stumbled through the hotel door and fell onto his bed. "Are you <em>drunk?"<em>

"Are you my mom?" I said back.

"Oh, god, what's wrong with you?" Percy asked again.

"Nothing!" I yelled. "Nothing is wrong with me! I got upset, I got drunk, and that's what normal college kids do!"

"No, Annabeth…"

I couldn't hear what he was saying. The walls were spinning again and I buried my face in his pillow. It smelled like Axe shampoo.

"Annabeth, are you even listening?"

"Oh, um dunk," I said into the pillow.

"What?" he asked

I lifted my head and said, "No, I'm drunk!"

Percy sighed and sat on the end of the bed. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

I sat up next to him. "I'm sorry you yelled at me, too."

My vision was getting hazy and I reached out to lean on Percy's leg so I wouldn't fall off the bed.

"You should go to bed." He chuckled.

My head felt like it was flying and I put my forehead on his cheek. "Are you drunk, too?"

"No, I'm not." I felt him smile.

"You should."

"Why?"

I lifted my head and everything spun around again. I felt my hand go up to his cheek.

_Did I do that?_

My eyes closed and I leaned in.

_What am I doing?_

I stopped a centimeter from Percy's lips. His breathe was hot on my chin and he moved forward so that our lips touched.

_Annabeth Chase, you are one hot mess._

**Please don't kill me, those of you who check my Tumblr for previews!**

**I don't even know what happened. First I was all, I'm so going to post a preview. And then I was all, SCHOOL PROJECTS, YAY! And then next thing I knew, I was a week late in posting a preview…and I'm sorry. **

**ANYWAY, the preview of the next chapter should be up sometimes NEXT Saturday (1/7/12). **

**IMPORTANT NOTE(also at the top of the page): Message me (on Tumblr or review or private message) after you read the preview and tell me an idea for the next chapter name(I'm running out of ideas)! If I like it, I'll send you the whole next chapter!**

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I got a NookColor and a drawing tablet :P**

**R&R!**


	10. authors note

**Author's Note:**

**AH! GUYS! I AM IMMENSLY SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING OFF THE FACE OF THE INTERNET FOR TWO MONTHS! **

**My computer went hijack and I had to use my Nook for the internet for the past two months. But on the bright side, my birthday is on March 5, and IMMA GET ME AN IMAC AIR! *squeal***

**Ok, so let us try one for time with the preview and chapter name contest! (BTW, you have **_**no**_** idea how embarrassed I was when my computer crashed. I was like, "OH, GOD. NOW HOW AM I GOING TO UPDATE MY TUMBLR?" **

**But I have deleted my Tumblr, due to difficulty of the tumbling.**

**Ok, so the update WILL be up by sometime this week on fanfiction (pleasepleaspleasepleaseplease) and if you come up with a title name for the chapter and either , I shall send you the rest of the chapter one day before I actually upload it(:**

**I cannot express my gratitude to all of you guys reviewing and favoriting and adding my stories to your alerts! I could hug you, but technology doesn't go as far as to reach through your monitors and hug people…**


	11. Chapter 8 preview

**Okaayy! Not **_**too**_** bad with updating within a seven day period of my last author's note! Just a couple days off…**

**I'm such a procrastinator *sigh* I have Tumblr to blame. And homework. **

**But! I have presented by project that had to be presented and handed in my essay and got all my shit done (pardon my French!), so I may go onward with the story!**

**REMEMBER THIS IS JUST A PREVIEW AND WHO EVER SENDS ME A GOOD TITLE FOR THE CHAPTER SHALL GET THE FULL CHAPTER BEFORE ANYONE ELSE!**

I woke up with a massive headache. It felt like someone cracked my head open, stuffed rocks in it, and stapled it back together.

Groaning, I rolled over onto my face. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom and the TV was switched onto the news.

"…avec le temps," I heard it say.

"Merci, Matthieu," said a new voice. "Et dans le temps qu'il fait aujourd'hui, il ya une chance de soixante pour cent de la pluie et une brise agréable souffle sur la région, vaut mieux apporter vos vestes!" The man kept at it and I started to doze after a while.

A breaking-news kind of music started to play and the man from before started to talk again, this time in a more serious voice.

"Dernières nouvelles! Assassin de renommée mondiale et chef de gang, Kronos, a fait une pause pour Paris. Agents ne sais pas où chercher pour lui, mais ont trouvé ses alias dans un ordinateur de l'aéroport. Nous vous tiendrons à jour avec d'autres nouvelles sur Kronos et de sa gang."

I peeked up and saw the news breaking to a commercial.

"Annabeth, are you up?" Percy asked from the bathroom.

I groaned in response and he said, "Do you know what the news said?"

"I don't speak French," I mumbled and fell back to sleep.

I woke up about an hour later and the room was empty. Percy had left and the TV was turned off. I could hear the people next door arguing in French and heard shouting from down the hall.

Sighing, I got up and dressed myself. It looked like a tornado hit me. My hair was a bird's nest and there were dark circles under my eyes. The last thing I remember from last night is walking into a bar, so I'm definitely hung over…

A note was taped to the side of the mirror in the bathroom:

_Annabeth,_

_Went to find Kronos. You're hung over. _

_Percy_

That bastard.

**Ok, so send me your ideas on what to call this chapter! **

**I'm off this week and I have no homework, so I will upload the whole chapter on either Monday or Tuesday!**


	12. Aftereffect

**I shouldn't even say sorry for not updating because I can honestly say that I have no excuse…**

**My birthday was on March 5 and I got a Macbook Pro :DDDDD**

**ANYWHOOO, the winner of the Chapter-Name Contest Thing that I had for the Chapter 8 Preview was an Anon person but I still sent them the full chapter and they liked it so I hope you like it.**

**GUYYYS, RICK RIORDON READ THE FIRST CHAPTER OF MARK OF ATHENA TO SOME AUDIENCE IN SOME PLACE AND IT'S ON YOUTUBE. If you're looking for the reunion though, it's not in the first chapter, so don't get your hopes up like I did...**

**Also, i know i have told you that my tumblr sucked so i shut it down but now i have a new one that relates nothing to FF but it would be awesome if you followed me. You could still ask me questions about my FF or FP on that Tumblr and I can promo you if you like :))) **

I woke up with a massive headache. It felt like someone cracked my head open, stuffed rocks in it, and stapled it back together.

Groaning, I rolled over onto my face. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom and the TV was switched onto the news.

"…avec le temps," I heard it say.

"Merci, Matthieu," said a new voice. "Et dans le temps qu'il fait aujourd'hui, il ya une chance de soixante pour cent de la pluie et une brise agréable souffle sur la région, vaut mieux apporter vos vestes!" The man kept at it and I started to doze after a while.

A breaking-news kind of music started to play and the man from before started to talk again, this time in a more serious voice.

"Dernières nouvelles! Assassin de renommée mondiale et chef de gang, Kronos, a fait une pause pour Paris. Agents ne sais pas où chercher pour lui, mais ont trouvé ses alias dans un ordinateur de l'aéroport. Nous vous tiendrons à jour avec d'autres nouvelles sur Kronos et de sa gang."

I peeked up and saw the news breaking to a commercial.

"Annabeth, are you up?" Percy asked from the bathroom.

I groaned in response and he said, "Do you know what the news said?"

"I don't speak French," I mumbled and fell back to sleep.

* * *

><p>I woke up about an hour later and the room was empty. Percy had left and the TV was turned off. I could hear the people next door arguing in French and heard shouting from down the hall.<p>

A food cart from room service was set up with a pink flower in a glass vase and a couple of plates that were now empty.

_Gee, thanks for leaving me some, Perce._

Sighing, I got up and dressed myself. It looked like a tornado hit me. My hair was a bird's nest and there were dark circles under my eyes. The last thing I remember from last night is walking into a bar, so I'm definitely hung over…

A note was taped to the side of the mirror in the bathroom:

_ Annabeth,_

_Went to find Kronos. You're hung over._

_Percy_

That bastard.

* * *

><p>Dressed and ready to hunt down a murderer, I left the hotel room and walked into the hall.<p>

I lost my phone and had no way of calling Percy so I had to make due with walking all over Paris for him.

The people from next door took their argument into the hallway and the way to the elevator was through them. As I made my way towards them, one girl looked over and turner nervously back to the other people she was with. She mumbled something and pushed them back into the room, her red hair disappearing behind the door.

Outside of the hotel, the sky was as bright as ever, compared to yesterday's dreary day. People in groups or pairs walked to shops and street vendors and cafes. My stomach grumbled. When was the last time I ate?

I couldn't understand what any of the sample menus said at the restaurants so kept on walking. Maybe Percy was still eating somewhere and I could catch up with him. But I don't have my phone to call him.

I turned the corner and walked along the sidewalk that led down to the Seine. Over the edge I could see where Percy and I were last night before Luke came over to us. Across the street was the bar I went to. The man with the beard was still outside of it, but instead of smoking he was sleeping on the bench. A different band was down there playing songs without any lyrics. People passing them tossed dollars and coins into the guitar cases.

A couple sat against the wall near the band. They looked oddly familiar. The girl had her brown curls pulled back into a messy ponytail and when she laughed they bounced wildly. The boy laughed with her, head back and hands on stomach. As the girl brought her head down, she caught my face as I walked in their direction to get to a small street vendor selling crepes.

"Hey! Vodka-girl, over here!" she yelled over.

People around us gave weird looks and my face turned red. This girl really doesn't hold back.

"Um, hello," I said, standing over them.

"Remember us? We're the ones from the bar last night," the girl told me.

The boy shook his head and grabbed her arm. "Of course she doesn't remember us, she was drunk. I'm Frank and this is Hazel. You didn't say your name last night."

"Annabeth. Nice to meet you...again." I held out my hand but they weren't paying attention to me so I awkwardly pretended that I was reaching to fixing my hair.

"She remembers us Frank, she wasn't _that _drunk."

"Uh, yes, she was."

"Well, she found her way home. _Look_, she's wearing different clothes!"

"Maybe she slept in a clothing store, Hazel."

I began walking away from them as they continued bickering. When I was about ten feet away from them, Hazel called me back again.

"Hey, you forgot your phone at the bar." She opened her purse and handed over my cheap phone. "You kept on getting a call from Percy. Is that the guy who made you get drunk?"

"Thanks," I said, ignoring her question and taking the phone. He called three times and I had two voice messages, probably from him. "Maybe I'll see you later."

* * *

><p><em>~Voice Message #1~<em>

_ "Hey Annabeth, it's Percy, I already had breakfast but I had room service leave a cart of food in the room by the T.V. I left some Aspirin and for you on the bathroom counter for your hangover. Call me when you get up, bye."_

I didn't notice any Aspirin...and I thought Percy ate all the food on the cart...

* * *

><p><em>~Voice Message #2~<em>

_ "_Annabeth!_ Get _out_ of that hotel room, _now!_ You have to leave, Kronos' gang members are next door, they might go into the room. _Call me!

* * *

><p>Oh, God.<p>

**R&R!**


	13. Overtaken

"So why are you in Paris?" Hazel asked as I dialed Percy's number.

I glanced at her and said "Something for school."

"Percy, too?"

"Yeah."

"Hazel, she's hungover, let her have some piece of mind," Frank said.

"She wasn't _that_ drunk, Frank!"

The phone didn't answer.

Quickly, I called Percy back again and again. I left Hazel and Frank to bicker about my drinking habits. Once the phone started its fourth ring I started to get worried. Percy should be picking up by now.

"Annabeth?" Suddenly his voice came through.

"Percy! Oh gosh, I'm sorry I didn't pick up. My ph-"

Before I could finish he cut me off. "Who was that girl who answered the phone before? Where are you? Are you okay? Is anyone else there?"

"I'm fine, Percy, I just forgot my phone at that bar I was at last night," I answered, almost talking as urgently as he was. "I think Kronos got into the room while I was sleeping. There was no Aspirin on the counter and all the food was gone. Where are you?"

There was a pause before he answered, almost like he had to process what I just said. When he did speak, he talked as if he were trying to stay calm.

"They were in the room?"

"Percy, where are you?"

"I-" there was a rustling and shouting in the background. The sound of glass shattering and people shouting came from his side of the call.

"Percy! What's was that?" I asked frantically.

"Annabeth? Annabeth, can you hear me?" Percy whispered. His voice was distant though, like his phone wasn't in his hand anymore. Then there was more rustling and then his voice was louder. "Annabeth?"

"Yeah?" My voice was shaking.

"They're here. I came back to the room to get you and they're here. There's no way I'm going to get out of this. I'm going to give you a description of the guys here and you have to find help. _Not the FBI. Or the cops. Or the government._"

I was sobbing by now. "Percy, please, don't leave me!"

"Annabeth?" I heard Hazel call my name. "What-" Her voice faded as I listened to Percy.

"_Promise me, Annabeth. Now."_

"I promise," I cried. "Don't go, hide!"

But it was too late. Percy shouted as he was dragged from wherever he was and then he started yelling descriptions to me.

He yelled extra loud. "I can't see his face! Caduceus tattoo on his wrist!"

"Shut up!" someone yelled.

"There's a girl, red hair, green eyes! And-"

The sound of a gunshot rang out and I screamed, dropping the phone and scrambling to pick it up again. Hazel and Frank ran over and the line was cut short.

He's gone.

* * *

><p>"Annabeth, what happened?" Hazel asked, pulling me towards her and Frank. They both slung their arms over my shaking shoulders and led me to the wall where I sunk down and cried.<p>

I ignored her and sunk down lower, burying my hands in my hands.

"Did you break up?" she asked.

I finally managed to choke out the horrible words. "I think he's been shot."

"What?" Frank yelped to me before turning to Hazel and repeating, "What?"

This just made me shake more and have more tears fall. "He's not my boyfriend, he's my friend and we're trying to find someone and I think he's been shot!"

"Whoa, slow down, what?" Hazel said. "What're you talking about?"

At this point, I completely forgot about my hangover.

"I-I haven't been completely honest when I told you why I'm here..." I said with a cracking voice.

Hazel and Frank both raised an eyebrow at me and took a nervous glance at each other.

"Do you know that serial killer, Kronos?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh, my god! You're in his group and you're looking for a person to kill!" Frank shouted out.

"No!" I looked around to make sure no one heard him. "No, we're trying to find _him_! He killed my dad and Percy's mom. We just wanted to get revenge but this whole thing is messed up now and Percy was just taken by them and I don't know what to do!"

And the water works returned.

"We can help," Hazel said, simply, like I didn't finish my homework and she would lend it to me.

"How?" Frank and I said at the same time.

"We could get help from the police-"

"No! We can't do that! They're just going to call the FBI and they'll take me and they won't believe me about Percy because they never _knew _about Percy!" I cried.

Hazel's eyebrows creased and she thought hard. I would've helped if it wasn't for a familiar headache coming back.

"Frank, remember Jason? He dated Piper back in high school, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, didn't he just quit being a detective or officer or something?"

"Officer, I think."

"Maybe he can help. And Grover, too, remember him? He's good at finding things!" **(A/N: haha, because the Golden Fleece and Pan... and he found those...okay.)**

"Yeah, but we have no idea where they are now," Frank said.

I stood up abruptly, searching for a pay phone with a phonebook. "Phonebook, let's go!"

I went off running with Frank and Hazel at my feet.

* * *

><p><strong>Yup...hey.<strong>

**R&R, kids. The more you review the faster I updaaaate**


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